# Cross-species Analysis of Bacterial Gene Networks

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $382,090

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Rationale: Gene networks underpin all aspects of bacterial physiology. These networks mitigate antibiotic
induced stress in the context of antibiotic resistance, and drive microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions
in the context of the human microbiome. Despite the central role of gene networks in maintaining viability and
organizing stress responses, there have been few studies that systematically compare gene networks across
bacterial species. Patterns in chemical-gene, gene-gene, and gene-promoter interactions will provide clues to
gene functions, pathways, and regulons, broadening our understanding of how the genetic backgrounds of
strains alter network connectivity.
Objective: Here we propose a cross-species comparison of genetic and regulatory networks in three enteric
species relevant to human health: Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Comparisons to the well-studied model, E. coli K-12, will drive gene function discovery in E. cloacae and K.
pneumoniae, as well as provide a test bed for future cross species comparisons. To facilitate these analyses,
we have developed CRISPR-based tools that are easily portable across species and can be used to
investigate gene function and regulation at the genome scale. We seek to uncover fundamental mechanisms
of homeostasis and stress responses by identifying conserved pathways. Our basic research approach could
inform strategies that target weak points in gene networks of bacterial pathogens or could be applied to
examine host-modified networks in the context of the human microbiome.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10877809
- **Project number:** 5R35GM150487-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason M. Peters
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $382,090
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10877809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10877809, Cross-species Analysis of Bacterial Gene Networks (5R35GM150487-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10877809. Licensed CC0.

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